Sunday, June 5, 2011

China's Li Na becomes Asia's first-ever Grand Slam title champion when she beat the defending champion Francesca Schiavone to win 6-4, 7-6(0) and take the women's title at Roland Garros. Thus, Li Na also becomes the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles trophy.

China's Li Na with the 2011 French Open Women's Trophy

The seventh seed Chinese sports icon claimed her first major title, after falling short in the Australian Open final earlier this year. In January, she became the first Asian-born player to reach a major championship match at the Australian Open, where she lost to Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

The 29-year-old from Wuhan hung up her racquet temporarily because she was languishing around the 120 mark in the world rankings and wanted a back-up plan in case her tennis didn't pan out. She enrolled on a journalism course and spent two years away from the tour. Nine years on she is the 2011 French Open champion and describes the victory as a "dream come true".
When Li Na stopped playing tennis in 2002 to study journalism she perhaps never envisaged that she would one day be making headlines all over the world.

Li Na is in tears after beating Italian Schiavone to win her first Grand Slam in Roland Garros

China's Li Na and Itay's Francesca Schiavone pose with their French Open 2011 Trophies

Li Na in a photo shoot with Eiffel Tower as a backdrop after winning the 2011 French Open women's title

China's First Grandslam title winner - Li Na poses with her 2011 French Open winner's trophy

Asia's first Grand slam winner Li Na with her French Open title

It's a "dream come true," Li Na said. "Since I was a young player, I wanted to be the Grand Slam champion. Someone said I'm getting old, but the old woman likes it that the dream came true. It wasn't easy."

Wishing Li Na many more Grand slams and bringing laurels to the Asian community... :)

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